A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

AFFLICTED CONSCIEISCES. 333light of his countenance and sense of his graces from hischild, that he may be driven thereby to take a new andmore exact review, a most serious thorough survey of hisyouthful sins, of that dark time which he wholly spentupon the devil ;and so put again, as it were, into thepangs of his new-birth, that Christ may be more perfectlyformed in him, that he may again behold with fear andtrembling the extreme loathsomeness and aggravated guiltof his old abominable lusts ; and so renewing his sorrowand repairing repentance, grow into a further detestation ofthem, a more absolute divorce irom his insinuating bosomsin, and be happily frighted afresh and for ever from thevery garment spotted of the flesh, and all appearance ofevil. 1 hat upon this occasion he may make a new inquisitionand deeper search into the whole state of his conscience,several passages of his conversation, and everycorner of his heart ; and so for the time to come more carefullycut oft' all occasion of sin, and with more resolutionand watchfulness oppose and stand at stave's end withevery lust, passion, distraction in holy duties, enticementsto relapse, spiritual laziness, lukewarmness, worldliness,&c. with greater severity to crucify our corruptions,^ andever presently and impartially execute the law of the Spiritagainst the rebellions of the flesh.This it may seem was one end of Job's spiritual afflictionin this kind. In chap, xiii, 23, he is earnest and importunatewith God to know what be those iniquities, transgressions,and sins, which had turned his face and favour fromhim in that fearful manner, as though he was a merestranger, or rather a professed enemy unto his majesty.And he presently apprehends the burthen and bitternessof the iniquities of his youth. " Thou writest," saith he," bitter things against me, and makest me possess the iniquitiesof my youth. At all such times, when God thushides his face from us, and leaves us to the darkness of ourown spirits, the sins of our youth are wont to lie mostheavy upon our hearts, and exact at our hands a more specialrenewing, increase, and perfecting of penitent sorrow ;for they are acted with the very strength of corruption, inthe heat of sensuality and heiglit of rebellion. Hence itwas that even David himself cries out, " Remember notthe sins of ray jouth " (Psalm xxv, 7); and so do manymore many times with much bitterness of spirit.It is so, then, that God may deal thus in mercy evenwith his dearest servants, especially if penitent grief andtrouble of conscience in their conversation were not insome good measure answerable to their former abominable